Inking mechanism for printing-machines



0. L. RAABE.

INKING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FIILED JAN-2, 1920.

39 055 Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

INVENTOR (9x2; Z z

ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO L. RAABE, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 R. HOE AND ('10., OF

7 NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

INKING MECHANISM FOR YRINTING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

Original application filed January 22, 1917, Serial No. 143,584. Divided and this application filed Iannary 2,-1920. Serial No. 349,007.

T 0 call whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Orro L. RAABE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jersey City, county of Hudson, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Inking Mechanism for Printing-Machines, fully described and represented in the following Specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same. I

This invention relates to certain improvements in inking mechanism for high speed printing machines, and this application is a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 143,584, filed January 22, 1917.

In this class of machines the inking mechanism usually includes a distributing cylinder which is driven at the surface speed of the form member of the couple, which in fast running web machines, as newspaper presses, is very high. Ink is supplied to this distributing cylinder from a fountain through a fountain roll which necessarily has a very much lower speed, by means of vibrating ductor rolls, these rolls vibrating between the fountain roll and distributing cylinder. These vibrating rolls deliver their ink to the distributing cylinder by contact therewith and are then brought up to high speed. This results when the ductor is vibrated from the high speed distributing cylinder to the slow running fountain roll in'a shock or jar both to the ductor and to the fountain roll causing wear of the roll. Furthermore the high speed ductor coming in contact with the slow running fountain roll also has a tendencyto impart an excess motion to the fountain roll causing an undesirable excess feed of ink.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an improvement in the mechanism by which the ink is transferred from the ink fountain to the distributing cylinder of the inking mechanism so as to avoid as far as possible the jar or shock resulting from the translationof motion from the slow running fountain roll to the fast running distributer, and vice versa, thereby avoiding shocks or jars to the rolls, and the speedingup of the fountain roll to an improper or undesirable degree.

These objects may be obtained by a construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings which show one embodiment of the invention in which Figure l is an end view of the improved inking mechanism partly broken away and partly in section, shown in connection with so muchof a rotary printing machine as is necessary for an understanding of the invention, and

Fig. 2 is a side view partly broken away and partly in section, of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1, the section being taken on line 2-2 of that figure.

Referring now to these drawings, the invention has been illustrated in connection with the inking mechanism for a high speed rotary printing machine of which but one rotary printing couple is shown, but it will be understood that the construction may be employed with any or all printing couples of multicouple machines, and with couples in which the members are not all cylinders.

In attaining the objects of the invention, a mechanism is provided whereby the speed of the ductor rolls may be reduced between the distributer and the fountain rolls so that the speed of the ductors as they come from the distributing roll may be largely reduced thus insuring longer life and more uniform action of the rolls. The; particular means for slowing down the speed of the ductor rolls may be widely varied, but in the particular construction illustrated, there will be included a free running transfer roll to which the ink is delivered from the slow fountain roll by a vibrating ductor and from which ink is delivered to the fast running distributing cylinder by another vibrating ductor.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a rotary printing couple, the members of which are cylinders including an impression cylinder 1 and a form cylinder 2. Ink is delivered, in the construction shown, from a pair of form rolls 3. These form rolls 3 are supplied with ink from a large distributing cylinder or drum 4, with which cooperates the usual train of small ink rolls 4 which grind up and distribute the ink.

This large distributer 4, in the particular construction shown, is a driving cylinder being driven through suitable connections not shown, and drives the form cylinder 2 through a gear 6 on the shaft 7 of the distributer, and an intermediate 8 and a gear 9 on the shaft 10 of the form cylinder, these two cylinders being thus driven at the same speed which, in rotary web printing machines, is a very high speed. The ink is supplied from a fountain 11, from which it is taken by a fountain roll 12 which rotate in the'fountain and is rotated to deliver the-amount of ink desired, the rotation of this fountain roll being necessarily much slower than the distributing cylinder 4; driven at printing speed.

In accordance with the invention, means are provided whereby the members which are operated to transfer the ink from the slow fountain roll to the fast running distributer may have their speed decreased from that of the fast running distributer to the speed more nearly approximating the speed of the slow running fountain roll. In the best constructions, these means will include a transfer cylinder or distributing roll 13 mounted in the side frames 14 of the machine. Ink is delivered from the fountain roll 12 to a vibrating ductor roll 15 which delivers to the transfer or distributing roll 13, and ink is taken from the transfer roll 13 and delivered to the distributing cylinder 4 by a second vibrating ductor 16.

his transfer or distributing roll 13 is mounted and controlled so that it may partake of a less speed than the speed of the distributing cylinder, so that when the vibrator roll 15 comes in contact with it the vibrator roll is given a speed less than the high speed of the distributing cylinder and more nearly approximating that of the fountain roll. While this may be effected in various ways, a simple and efiicient way is to mount the roll 13 so that it is a free running roll, that is, the roll is not positively driven, but is rotated in its support through vibrating rolls '15 and 16, coming in contact therewith alternately. The roll 16 brakes contact with the roll 13, before the roll 15 makes contact therewith, and vice versa. Thus the roll 13 loses its momentum and slows down from the high speed given it by the roll 16 which runs at printing speed from contact with distributing cylinder 1, whereby a speed more nearly approximating the slow running speed of the fountain roll is given to the ductor roll 15. The roll 13 may be mounted in any suitable manner to effect this, as for instance, by being mounted on a freely rotatable shaft 17 mounted in suitable bearings in the frame of the machine.

The vibrating ductor rolls are operated in any usual or suitable manner so as to havethe vibrating motion to and from the rolls with which they 'make and brake contact, but as the particular mechanism for effectin this is not necessary for an understanding of the invention, no such mechanism has been shown.

It will be seen that by the construction described injurious shocks or jars to the ductor rolls and the fountain roll are obviated to a great extent and the life of the rolls correspondingly" increased and too great a feed of ink owing to undersirable speeding up of the fountain roll has been eliminated. c I I lVhile a simple and efficient construction for effecting the objects of the invention has been illustrated, it will be understood that certain changes and variations inthe structure illustrated and described may be made without departing from the invention.

What I claim is:

'1. In a printing machine, the combination with a printing couple, of a distributing cylinder driven at the speed of the couple, a fountain roll running at considerably less speed than the speed of the'couple, a roll intermediate the vfountain roll and distributing cylinder, means for delivering ink from the fountain roll to the intermediate roll and from it to the distributing cylinder, and means whereby the intermediate roll may be run at a surfacespeed slower than that of the distributing cylinder. I

2. In a printing machine, the combination with a printing couple, a distributing cylinder driven at the speed of the couple, 1

a fountain roll running at a speed less than that of the distributing cylinder, an intermediate ink distributing roll between the distributing cylinder and the fountain roll out of contact with either, and means whereby the intermediate transfer roll may be run at a lower surface speed than the distributing cylinder. r

3. In a printing machine, the combination with a printing couple, of a distributing cylinder driven at the speed of the couple, a slow running fountain roll, a free running transfer roll intermediate the fountain roll and the distributing cylinder, a vibrating ductor roll delivering ink from the fountain roll to the free running roll, and a ductor roll taking ink from the free running roll and delivering it to the distributing cylinder.

4:. In a printing machine, the eombinav ing cylinder driven at printing speed, connections for driving the couple at printing speed from the distributing cylinder, a fountan roll running at a slower speed than the distributing cylinder, a transfer roll intermediate the fountain and the distributing cylinder and mounted to run freely in either direction, a vibrating ductor roll deliveringink from the fountain roll to the free running intermediate roll, and a vibrating ductor roll taking ink from the free running roll and delivering it to the distributing cylinder.

6. In a printing machine, the combination with aprinting couple, a distributing cylinder, a fountain roll running at a speed less than that of the distributing roll, a free running intermediate roll between the distributing roll and the fountain roll but out of contact with either, and means for supplying ink from the fountain roll to the intermediate roll and from the intermediate roll to the distributing cylinder.

In an inking mechanism, the combination with'a printing cylinder, of a source of ink supply, and a series of ink forwarding rolls connecting the cylinder and ink supply, said series including a stationarily mounted free running roll out of contact with the cylinder and the source of supply.

8. In an inking mechanism the combina tion with a printing cylinder, of a source of ink supply, a series of ink forwarding and distributing rolls connecting the cylinder and ink supply including a free running roll out of contact with the cylinder and the source of supply, and a vibrating ductor roll on each side of the free running roll.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

OTTO L. RAABE. 

